


One Small Step

by HikariNoHimeWriter



Series: TsukaSen Month Week 1 [1]
Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Love Confessions, M/M, Manga spoilers up to chap 134, No beta we die like humans, TKSTsukasaSenkuuMonthJan2020, TKSevents, Temporary Character Death, TheKingdomofShipping, TsukaSen — Love Confession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22071991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HikariNoHimeWriter/pseuds/HikariNoHimeWriter
Summary: Sometimes just a small step is everything you need.
Relationships: Ishigami Senkuu/Shishiou Tsukasa
Series: TsukaSen Month Week 1 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588720
Comments: 8
Kudos: 85
Collections: TsukasaSenkuuMonth - January 2020





	One Small Step

**Author's Note:**

> Yooooo ♥  
> Bringing my first contribution for this amazing ship that is TsukaSen ♥ I'm planning on doing way more this month, hopefully y'all will enjoy it!  
> This fic is for Week 1 - Love Confessions Prompt!

It’s over. Finally, after all this time, _it’s over_.

Senku can’t help the happiness and relief flooding through him. His body hurts from Hyoga’s attacks and he never felt so tired before, but a chuckle still finds its way out of his lips. He raises his hand, the sound of a slap echoes in the night.

He looks to his side, moving his head with what little energy he still had. Tsukasa is here, looking as tired and pleased as Senku is. He still can’t believe what happened; everything from Hyoga’s sudden betrayal to their still feels like a hazy dream.

Senku realizes he wants this again, this feeling that warms his heart and makes his head dizzy with all the stupidly confusing emotions. He wants to fight with Tsukasa again. They are invencible as long as they’re together.

 _But Fate is a bitch_ , Senku finds out soon enough, _and nothing happens the way he wants to._

He forces himself not to cry even as they bring an unconscious Tsukasa back to the Empire. There’s blood, so much blood, and Senku’s heart hurts seeing him like this. He tells Kinrou to keep Mirai away from the cave they settled Tsukasa in.

Senku’s hands don’t shake even as he sews Tsukasa’s flesh with Ruri’s bone needle. He forces the jokes out of him to lighten the mood. He keeps calm the whole process even as he feels himself breaking a little more with each pained noise leaving Tsukasa’s lips.

But there’s no hiding it when he tells Tsukasa, “I’ll kill you with my own hands.”

Senku only speaks louder to drown out Gen’s words. Because Gen is right. This is wrong, this is madness, he can’t kill Tsukasa. But he has to, if he really wants to give this man a chance at living.

Tsukasa doesn’t mind, or at least he makes the effort not to show it. His voice sounds broken and weak and it does nothing to soothe Senku’s pain, but he’s trying and it’s enough for him.

Senku doesn’t find it in himself to enjoy the work of building a freezer, not when he knows the reason they need one in the first place. He grimaces at the thing even as he finishes the last details. Senku doesn’t look at the others as they leave the cave, ushered by a very wise Kaseki.

 _Would you want others watching as you give your friend a fatal blow?_ He doesn’t even want to deliver that blow. But one look at Tsukasa, the difficult he’s already having at breathing, is enough to steel his resolve.

He talks of nothing and everything at the same time. Senku needs to fill that crushing silence somehow, not caring if it makes him seem dumb for Tsukasa. They already went through so much together, there’s no way this will change Tsukasa’s perception of him.

“Senku,” Tsukasa calls him in a weak, weak voice and Senku stops talking altogether to listen. “There’s something you should know...” He coughs, and Senku is all over him in a second.

He shakes his head, gently placing a hand on Tsukasa’s abdomen, afraid he’d hurt him anymore. “Hey, I do the talking here. You just rest.”

But Tsukasa’s a stubborn fool, too much like Senku to his liking. He licks his lips, taking in a deep breathing before starting, “You can say you’re doing this because I’m your friend whatever you want. I know I don’t deserve any of this. Not after... I killed you.”

Senku’s shoulders fall. “Tsukasa, you...”

“But,” Tsukasa interupts him, again. “Even if you never forgive me, even if this is last time I see you...”

 _No, no!_ Senku’s heart screams at him and warm tears gather at the corners of his eyes, blurring his vision of Tsukasa.

“Senku, you are... the best thing that ever happened to me. I lo—” Tsukasa closes his eyes, breath evening out until he didn’t move anymore.

A sob breaks free and Senku covers his eyes to stop the never-ending tears. It doesn’t work, the droplets still fall on Tsukasa’s rapidly paling face. A face Senku won’t see again for months, maybe years before he gets hold of the source of petrification.

Senku leans in closer, his lips meeting Tsukasa’s sweaty forehead. He’ll bring him back, and the next they meet, Senku will tell him everything.

He just has to be patient, and believe.

* * *

* * *

“Two meters, two seconds.”

Senku steps out of Medusa’s blinding light. The dark cave turns green for a moment. His heart beats faster when it disappears, his feet run to the damned freezer, opening it with a urgency he hasn’t felt for a long time now.

Tsukasa is there, with his hands crossed over his chest, face frozen in a peaceful expression, with stone covering his whole body. Senku gasps, turning the whole thing off before taking Tsukasa out of the freezer. He’s heavy, heavier than a human with his size should weight.

Senku doesn’t mind, carefully laying him on the same spot he was over a year ago. His fingers shake when he pours the yellow liquid on Tsukasa’s head, just like he did all those years before. The stone doesn’t crack this time. It dissolves slowly, turning back into pale skin and strong muscles.

There are no petrification or spear scars this time. Tsukasa is free from all past marks, ready to start over with a renewed heart and body.

Tsukasa opens his eyes. They’re as beautiful as Senku remembers—maybe even more, with all the years being denied them. He smiles at him, “So you did it. You really did it.”

Senku laughs, because of course, _of course_ he would make it. He promised Tsukasa and Mirai too. He brushes the hair out of Tsukasa’s face, trying to stop the tears that come. “As if I’d chicken out just because something’s difficult.”

Senku thinks of everything they went through to get Medusa. Kirisame, Mozu, Ibara, an entire army against them. He looks at his fingers, at the new scar crossing them from when Ibara petrificated his fingers. It was hell, but he’d go through that hell as many times as he needed to get his beloved back.

Tsukasa chuckles. Before he knows it, Senku is being pulled into a tight hug. He can hear Tsukasa’s heartbeat. _He’s here, he’s alive, everything was worth it_. “I’m glad you didn’t... I still need to spend the rest of my life telling you how much I love you.”

Senku’s heart skips a beat. He wondered what Tsukasa’s last words were supposed to be for a long time but never, never allowed himself to hope. But now, hearing Tsukasa say he loves him—Senku feels so happy he starts crying.

And, for the first time in months, it’s from sheer happiness.

“Good. Because I love you too, big lion,” he answers.

It’s just a small step in their relationship, but for now it’s everything they need.

**Author's Note:**

> Come join our family on [The Kingdom Of Shipping Discord server](https://discord.gg/wxmpcfdGP3) 💖  
> Kissus 💖


End file.
